The Static Speaks My Name

Another free game on Steam. Another 10 minute experience. Unlike Dr. Langkeskov, The Static Speaks My Name is not so funny. Part horror, part…weirdness. It is incredibly difficult to describe, so here are the author’s words:

My intention was to create an experience with an emphasis on story, character and emotion, not gameplay. Kind of a right-brain game. To create something that made you feel like you were someone else, but not as an escape. Most games are kind of escapes from reality and I feel like this is maybe the opposite? Like it’s an attempt to replicate that rawness that we all sometimes experience. I honestly am not sure if I accomplished that, but that was my intention.

Not sure if you nailed it, Mr. Jesse Barksdale. And now, ten minutes after playing the game and one minute after writing that, maybe you did. It’s really hard to talk about this game. There is no message, or plot to dissect. It really is there just to evoke an emotion. And it is taking its time to percolate. The whole experience reminded me of playing 9:05 by Adam Cadre, in that it directs the player through monotonous actions that we all do everyday in real life and ends with a morbid twist. It is a very short experience so things go dark very quickly.

Unfortunately I was rather spoiled on the ending from listening to Patrick Klepek’s discussion of The Static Speaks My Name on Match 3. I was expecting something bad to happen, and was emotionally prepared for it. I kind of wish I hadn’t been, as the game would have had a bigger effect on me and maybe I would have had more to say. Instead, my experience playing it was more confirming my suspicions rather than feeling immersed, even though they didn’t spoiled it on the podcast. I was still able to pick up what they were trying not to put down.

Patrick has a video of the game on YouTube of his playthrough. What I love about this let’s play video is that it shows how a game can really emotionally affect someone. It’s not the only game out there that does that, but there aren’t enough.

For me, this game is like the movie Requiem for a Dream. I am glad I saw it, but I don’t want to see it again.